diet update...

Diet is still going well -- currently 187.5, want to get down to 185.5 before Friday. My back has been bothering me, so the workouts are not intense.

Today I played 45min of DDR in the morning
10 games of bowling in the afternoon.

If you look over to the left side of the blog page, I put up some new KB pictures, with more to follow. I really like the background and the red in the shirt really pops.

Don't forget, the TSC is coming up on Sept 26. Don't leave your preparation to chance. Get you customized training program to help prepare for it. There is a pay Pal link in the upper left of my blog. Even the best athletes have coaches. If you are thinking of getting into the top five -- read my reviews (definitely outside of the box yet effective training).

Bowling was hit and miss. Bowled well in my sport league and in practice, but poorly in the tournament. I have a PBA regional this weekend -- wish me luck.

Diet update....

Got a little off track with the diet. Allegies hit and I was run down for Sunday and Monday. Hit it hard since then. Here were my workouts.

Wednesday:
* Morning (legs)
- Good Mornings: 135, 225, 275 x 1 x 5; 325, 375 x 1 x 3; 395, 415 x 1 x 1 (feel awesome)
- Leg Presses: 6,8 x 15; 9 x 10 (The leg press at Choice Fitness sucks ass)
- Leg Curls: Stack x 12
- Adduction/Abduction: Stack x 20
- Lunges: 85,115,135 x 5 x 5 (felt good)
- Renegade Rows: 32kg x 5 x 5

DDR:
1:15 of DDR to attempt to loosen the hips and lower back

Evening:
- KB presses: 24kg x 1 x 5; (24kg + 6kg) x 4 x 5; 24kg x 1 x 10
- Barbell TGU: 60lb x 1 x 1
- Hurt my back stepping in a hole walking home

Thursday:
Morning (back):
Lower back still stiff.
Lat Pull Downs: Stack x 12
Single arm rows: 120 x 2 x 10
Pullovers
Single arm pulldown

Afternoon (needed to see if I could bowl league)
* Bowled 10 games in 1:05

Early Evening:
* Took pictures for kettlebell marketing material
* Bowling League -- bowled well, but did not score real well, looking forward to tournament this weekend.


Friday (Chest/Tris)
* Speed Bench: 135, 175 x 1 x 3; 185 x 3 x 3; 195 x 4 x 3; 205 x 2 x 3 (good)
* Incline DB Presses: 60, 75, 90 x 1 x 10; 100 x 1 x 7
* Machine flys
* Dips: BW x 1 x 20; 25lb, 45lb x 1 x 10
* Close Grip: worked up to 225 x 1 x 1
* Tricep Press

Cardio: DDR

Update....

176 Challenged: Weighed in at 187.5 earlier this week. Diet and exercise were off after Wednesday because of schedule and allergies. I should be able to bring it around. Next weight in: Monday.

Made some garbage bread on sunday. Garbage bread has the same ingredients as pizza, but you roll it up like a pinwheel for a special treat.

Workouts this weeks:
Friday: Back/KBs only
* Renegade Rows: 32kg x 6 x 5, 32kg x 2 x 10
* Single arm rows: 32kg x 4 x 7
* Double Rows: 32kg x 3 x 10
* Snatches: 24kg x 20L/20R; 24kg x 5 x 10L/10R without putting bell down in under 4:00
* Swings: 32kg x 6 x 20

Saturday:
* Snatches: 32kg x 10L/10R, 32kg x 4 x 5L/5R without putting bell down
* Dead cleans: 24kg x 10 (too correct RC lateral rotation per Kenneth Jay, MRKC)
* Swings: 40kg x 3 x 15
* KB Burpees: (2 x 32kg) x 2 x 15

Today's blog - bowling, workout, 176 challenge....

Today's workouts:

Morning:
* TGU: 32kg x 10:00
* Renegade Row: 32kg x 6 x 5

Late afternoon (Legs):
* Box Squats: 135, 185, 225 x 1 x 2; 265 x 6 x 2; 285 x 4 x 2 (felt good)
* Leg Presses: 6, 8, 9 plates x 1 x 10
* Abductors/Adductors: Stack x 20
* Leg Curls: Stack x 12
> I have some retard trainer at the gym tell me if I don't slow the negative that I would hyperextend my knee, even though I was about 10 degrees from locking it out. What a douche.
* Front Squat: 135, 185, 225, 245 x 1 x 3 (ATG); 265 x 1 (Parallel)
* Tire Flips: ~400lb tire x 2 x 18
==> 50 minutes

Bowling (PBA Experience League):
191 (dump a 4 pin in the 10th to tie my opponent, who is a pro w/his own shop)
181 (Struck in the 11th to win by 3 pins)
204 (Doubled in the 10th to get 200)
576 (only three opens, really battled)
==> The flatter pattern reward shotmaking, mental toughness, and decision making. Actually feels like a real sport. The ego takes a hit since I am only average 180

I am looking forward to two PBA style events
* Scratch Sweeper (7/25 at Regal Lanes)
* PBA Regional (7/31-8/1 in Spring Hill)
Need to practice more.

176 Challenge:
Per previous blog posts, my goal is to be at 176lbs by the end of August. Weighed in today at 187.5. It was a bad week, missed two workouts and had a cold. Need to keep it up over the weekend.

Here is a Happy Birthday Shout Out to my nephew Pierce (Philadelphia, PA). He is 8.

I am putting up a video of my TGU...

I have been not as crisp on TGUs 40kg and up.

I am putting a video so I can get some feedback.



I am cheating with my arm and my foot in falling inward. Yuck.

Nothing that some practice can some constructive (or destructive) criticism will not fix.

Quest for 176.....

Right now I am at my lightest that I have been in 6 years (189, down from a max of 235 after breaking my back).

My goal now is to get down to 176 by August 31. Just like when I had to make a weight for RKC (198, weight loss is easier when you have a goal that is:
* Quantitative
* Time-boxed

I plan on doing this w/o stepping on a stair-climber (or curb climber), sitting on a treadmill, or ellipticalling on an elliptical.

Here are some of my tactics for achieving this goal:
* Clean eating with more vegetables
* Starting every morning with coffee. No coffee after 11 AM
* Split workouts, with 11 workouts per week (yes, I still saw workout, even if I don't try to kill myself during the workout)
* Zig Zag eating (I will have 1 day/week where I eat more than what burn off)
* Weigh myself daily
* Never count calories
* Blog workouts and eating

Yesterday's workout:
Morning (leg day)
* Good Mornings: 135, 225, 275, 315 x 1 x 5; 335, 355, 365 x 1 x 3 (felt good)
* Leg Presses: Up to 11.5 plates per side x 10 (strong and deep)
* Abductors/Adductors: stack x 1 x 40
* Hip Flexors: 3 x 15
* Squats standing on medicine ball

Early Evening:
Alternate 2 DDR songs with 15 Beast swings
* 28 songs of DDR (about 560 calories) and 195 swings

Late Evening:
Bowling (sport league): 148, 180, 188 - sucked

Friday:
* Early morning: Some TGU for videotape
32kg x 7:00; 40kg x 1; 48kg x 1

* Mid Morning (Shoulders)

* Afternoon
- Presses: 24kg x 5; (24kg + 8kg) x 5; (24kg + 12kg) x 1 x 5
- Curls: 80lb, 100lb, 110lb x 1 x 10;
- Max VO2: 24kg x 7 x 12 minutes

Evening:
Swings: 32kg swings x 10 x 8 (10s rest after each set)

Eating was OK, but not enough veggies

Flyer for my new studio:

Today's Workout and other stuff....

I had a lot of time to myself today (only 2 clients, the other 2 were out sick), so I took advantage. Besides laundry and errands, I was able to do the following:

* Made some stir fry broccoli and chicken
* Made some broccoli and chicken garbage bread
--If you don't know what garbage bread is, just ask
* Made a big salad with all the romain clusters
* Juiced the rest of the carrots, celery, and apples
* Roasted some broccoli and carrots
--cut broccoli florets and carrots into bit sized pieces
--coat baking sheet with olive oil
--roast for 15 minutes at 385F
--season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste

Two workouts today:
Early afternoon (Chest Day):
* Bench Press: 135, 185 x 1 x 5; 205, 215 x 1 x 2 (these still hurt my shoulder like a bitch)
* Incline DB Bench: 95 x 2 x 10
* Cable Crossovers
* Decline Hammer Strength
* Pec Dec
* Alternating presses, hands out

* Tricep Pressdown
* Tricep Presses: worked up to 225 x 1 x 1
* Skull Crushers


Late evening
* Random KB exercise (5)
* Alternated 2 songs of DDR with 15 Beast swings

Weight: 187.2 (but I think I was a little dry) - about 11lbs to go.

Challenge.....178! Also, functional training...

My challenge for the next two months is to get down to 178lb (about a 12lb. weight loss) without losing any strength and maintaining my kettlebelling abilities. Any retard can (and typically does) go on a treadmill deathmarch and lose weight and look like a Biggest Loser reject. This person typically regains the weight because they have no "foundation" of fitness.

The key is going to be cleaning up the diet. I will have to be more diligent in preparing meals to take with me as I would my personal training business.

Here are the skills that I will need to maintain:
425+ lb squat
475 lb deadlift
120+ reps in 5 minute snatch test
sub 6:30 mile
flipping 500lb tire

Losing weight for the purpose of losing weight is pretty silly.

I have been hearing a lot about functional training. One thing that I have found is that a lot of people who are weak are actually "justifying" it by saying that their training is functional. Their definition of functional is "I must include some type of fitness crap (e.g., bosu, medicine ball, exercise ball, fitness band, balance board)" in the exercise.

Here is my definition of functional (taken from dictionary.com):
having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed

Lets take heavy lifting (not necessarily 1RM lifting). We lift heavy things all of the time. Therefore heavy lifting is "functional". Let me ask you a question -- if you were moving a couch, who would you rather have help you. Someone who can lift heavy things, or someone that can do squats on a bosu.

Lets say you were moving to a new home. Who would you rather have help you. Someone who can lift a moderate amount of weight a lot (i.e., work capacity), or someone who does leg lifts with an exercise ball between their legs.

I know from my training that I can go into any class (spin, yoga, step aerobic) and do just fine. Ask your yogi to get under a bar loaded with 2x their bodyweight and see how they do. Strength carries over to all "functions". While other stuff is important - I swear that personal trainers talk about functional fitness because they are unable to teach someone how to lift. What they did is call their gimmicks "functional".





Let us look up